Altenew Educator Certification Program - Let it shine

Hi Everyone,

I am back with another project for the Altenew Educator Certification Program. This time, the class was called "Let it shine", and the instructor was of course Carissa Wiley - the Queen of Sparkle ;o)

Carissa's videos would be perfect for any newbie to the crafty world - she shares a lot of tips and tricks along the way, from some very basic ones, to more complex ideas and techniques. She also shared a lot of additional inspirational designs after each class, which was nice to see. 

When it goes to sparkle and shine - I don't need to be hugely encouraged to incorporate them into my designs, LOL! I love sequins, embellishments, glitter paper, glittery embossing powders, foils, shimmer sprays and all the other sparkly stuff. In fact, it's rather difficult for me NOT to have any of these on my cards! Therefore, "homework" for this class was easy-peasy for me :o)

Funnily enough, the card I am sharing today was also hugely inspired by another Altenew class I was attending whilst doing the mandatory AECP ones - All about layering 3 by Lydia Evans [which, as I am writing it, is a FREE class, so definitely worth checking out!]. 

Now, if you struggle with layering Altenew stamps - I highly recommend the "All about layering" series - they will help you with understanding how to best approach these stamp sets. Lydia's class was fabulous - I thoroughly enjoyed her videos and clear instructions, and her inspirational pieces were totally up my alley, which was a great bonus. I personally don't have any issues with aligning the layering stamp sets by Altenew, but I still found the class very inspirational. 

The moment I saw Lydia's card with the gorgeous Leaf Frame Cover Die, I knew I had to try something similar. Lydia used vellum on her design, and I opted for... you guessed it, glitter paper! I stamped the fabulous flower and leaves from the Hope stamp set, using some Catherine Pooler, Distress Oxide and Altenew inks (I didn't have all the colours I wanted in the Altenew range), and then fussy cut them. Note that I also stamped the final layer of the center of the flower with Versamark ink, and then used a gold embossing powder instead of colourful ink - this was another bow towards the "Let it shine" class :o)

At this point, all that was left to do was to assemble the card, and add the sentiment. I added some sparkle to the sentiment also (notice that super thin strip of glitter paper?)! I was going to add some sequins/enamel dots around the sentiment, but I couldn't find anything in my stash that matched nicely with the shade of gold of my glitter paper, so in the end opted to leave additional embellishments out - the card is pretty sparkly already, anyway! 

And here it is, in all its sparkly glory - isn't it fabulous?

I am entering the card into the following challenges:

Altenew - January inspiration challenge

I am truly happy with how this turned out, and I will be using this trick with the Leaf Frame in the future, for sure!

Do you like using sparkle on your cards? Do share!

In the meantime, have a great weekend,

Mirella

SUPPLY LIST (please see affiliate disclaimer & essential supplies info here):

Gold glitter paper - from my stash, bought in the local paper store
Catherine Pooler - Tiki Torch ink

Altenew Red Sunset Inkpad Set at CraftStash
Peacock Feather DIstress Oxide Ink at CraftStash
Cracked Pistachio DIstress Oxide Ink at CraftStash
Salty Ocean DIstress Oxide Ink at CraftStash

Amazing giveaway by Kathy Racoosin!

Hi Everyone,

A quick post today - just wanted to pop by to share with you the amazing giveaway that Kathy Racoosin from The Daily Marker is currently hosting. 

If you're in the USA, or can travel to USA easily enough, you're in for a treat! Just have a look at the amazing prize:

I would love to be able to participate and go, but sadly it's not an option for me at the moment... But maybe you can?! If so, don't hesitate, and participate! You'll find all the details on Kathy's blog here.

Have a great weekend,

Mirella

Create A Smile Stamps Challenge: L is for...

Hi Everyone,

It's time for another challenge over at Create A Smile Stamps. This time, the theme is "L is for...". I love how versatile the interpretation of this challenge can be! However, and call me sappy if you want to, I went for the most obvious one - LOVE. This means I will have a Valentine's Day Card made for hubby already - a win-win! ;o)

I slightly altered one of the seagulls in the uber-funny Gull Gang stamp set, so that it would be more feminine. I gave her lashes, and a string of pearls around her neck, even though I personally don't wear pearls... This way, however, it was easier for me to show that one of the seagulls is a male, and one is a female. These two are also meant to represent me and my hubby - me, the constant chatterbox, and my hubby - the man of fewer words, but of words that matter :o) 

Here's what I came up with:

I am entering the card into the following challenges:
SSS Monday Challenge - Alcohol - drinks or inks (I used alcohol markers, Copics, for colouring)
SSS Wednesday Challenge - Have a heart

I'm really happy with how it turned out, and I had lots of fun making it! Will you play along with us this time? 

Have a great day,

Mirella

SUPPLY LIST (please see affiliate disclaimer & essential supplies info here):

FROM THE CREATE A SMILE STORE:

SAY WHAT?

GULL GANG 

CLING OCEAN WAVES

FROM SIMON SAYS STAMP: